


A Way To Cope

by Annablue



Category: Tales of Arcadia (Cartoons), Trollhunters - Daniel Kraus & Guillermo del Toro
Genre: Angst, Don't know what I'm doing, never tagged before
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-25
Updated: 2019-06-25
Packaged: 2020-05-19 18:10:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19361974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Annablue/pseuds/Annablue
Summary: Basically how I would imagine someone like Jim would react when things get to be a little too much. One-shot





	A Way To Cope

 Sometimes it felt like Jim couldn’t catch a break. Between school and trollhunting, he was lucky to get more than a four hour nights sleep. Not to mention taking care of his mother. Every day it was the same, it was tiring, but Jim kept going. He didn't want anyone to know just how drained he really was. Jim was getting used to the crushing weight of exhaustion, it wasn’t bugging him as much anymore.

     When he got back from the Darklands, it got worse. The weeks that he was gone, he didn’t have to worry about impressions. He was able to let himself cry occasionally. He would always try to hold it back, but after a week of being in neverending darkness, he couldn’t take it anymore. There was no one there to judge him anyway. No one to be concerned about the mighty trollhunter breaking down.

     His time away had weakened his walls. He found it harder to hold back his emotions. There were days where he’d spend most of his time biting back tears, trying to keep his face as neutral as possible. He knew that Claire and Toby weren’t buying it. They would shoot him concerned glances from across the classroom. At lunch they would attempt to broach the subject, keeping their voices gentle and quiet, like Jim was a bomb in danger of going off. In truth, he felt like it. He’d make a quick excuse and turn away, feeling his eyes burn with tears. 

     Jim would go somewhere quiet, taking deep breaths as he tried to steady his breath and force the tears down. When the class bell rang, he slipped quietly into the classroom, shooting Claire and Toby a small smile to reassure them that he was fine. They didn’t look convinced, but smiled back at him. That was enough for Jim.

     The end of school was always a mercy for Jim on those days. He’d ride back into the neighborhood with Claire and Tobes, letting the wind keep his eyes dry for him. They would all ride down to Jim and Toby’s houses and bid goodbye until later in the night. Claire would shadow jump home and Jim would finally be back in his own house.

     The times his mom was still home were the worst. He’d have to try extra hard to force a smile and play it off. His mom obviously never believed his excuses, but usually let Jim break away and rush to his room.

     That’s when he’d finally let go. Jim would sit on his bed and hold a pillow to his face as his face contorted, tears slipping out of his squeezed shut eyelids. He’d stay there for several minutes, his breath hitching quietly as his body rocked from side to side. 

     Then it was gone. He usually still felt horrible, but there was no longer the threat of tears. Just the normal exhaustion, and maybe a slight headache. Jim would wipe his eyes and check himself in the mirror. The only sign of his mini breakdown would be just a slight tinge of red in his eyes. No one would notice that unless they were looking carefully, and thankfully no one really was. His mom wouldn’t notice, and it’d be gone by the time he got to Trollmarket.        

     Jim would continue on with his night from there. He’d make dinner for himself and his mom, eat his portion quickly, then bid goodnight and wait for Claire’s portal to open in his bedroom. The express way to Trollmarket. He would continue to get looks for the rest of the night, but they didn’t bother him as much, with the threat of tears gone. He’d smile confidently in the direction of their looks until they eventually stopped giving them.

     As long as he could keep it under wraps, he’d be fine. It didn’t happen too often, sometimes it was worse than others. As much as it pained him to hide his suffering, he knew it would pain him more to have the others worry about him. 

     He was fine. He would be fine. He just had to keep pushing through.

**Author's Note:**

> So I've wanted to try my hand a fanfiction for a while now, and I happen to hit perfect inspiration. Hopefully it was okay, this was my first. Any and all criticism is welcome. I need to learn. Thanks for reading!


End file.
